Senate confirms Todd Blanche as attorney general in 50-49 vote
The Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general early Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, by a 50-49 vote, making President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer the permanent head of the Justice Department.
Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since April, after Pam Bondi’s departure. The Senate’s vote ended that interim period and installed Blanche as the nation’s chief law-enforcement officer following weeks of partisan dispute over the Justice Department’s direction and Blanche’s relationship with Trump.
Blanche was sworn in Monday, Aug. 10, at the White House. Federal appeals court judge Emil Bove administered the oath, formally marking the start of Blanche’s tenure as the confirmed attorney general.
A narrow confirmation vote
The Senate acted by the narrowest margin reported in the final vote, confirming Blanche 50-49. The vote came in the early hours of Aug. 8, before senators left Washington for their August recess.
The overnight session also included action on other major measures. Blanche’s confirmation was completed as lawmakers prepared to leave, bringing an end to the Senate phase of a nomination fight that had drawn attention to the Justice Department’s leadership and the attorney general’s connection to the president.
The final vote followed a 12-10, party-line vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Aug. 4. That committee action advanced Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate after a confirmation hearing held in July.
At the hearing, witnesses addressed Blanche’s qualifications, his law-enforcement record and his stated commitment to crime victims, law enforcement and the rule of law. The committee’s vote provided the immediate procedural step before the full Senate considered the nomination.
From Trump lawyer to Justice Department chief
Before taking the acting attorney general role, Blanche served as Trump’s personal lawyer. That history became a central point of debate during the confirmation process, alongside questions about how he would approach federal law enforcement and lead the Justice Department.
The dispute over Blanche’s nomination was also part of a broader argument about executive power and the department’s independence. The attorney general leads the Justice Department, whose responsibilities include federal law enforcement and the administration of federal justice across the United States.
Blanche’s confirmation therefore settled more than the title attached to his position. It established a permanent attorney general after months in which he had served in an acting capacity, while placing a former presidential lawyer at the top of an agency responsible for enforcing federal law nationwide.
The 50-49 result does not provide a bipartisan margin for the nomination. It reflects a sharply divided Senate at the end of a confirmation process that included a party-line committee vote and a contentious public debate over Blanche’s qualifications, his law-enforcement record and his relationship with Trump.
The transition is complete
The sequence of events moved quickly once the Senate acted. The Judiciary Committee advanced Blanche’s nomination on Aug. 4. The full Senate confirmed him early on Aug. 8. Two days later, Bove administered the oath at the White House.
Those steps moved Blanche from acting attorney general to the Justice Department’s permanent leader. His service as acting attorney general had begun in April after Bondi left the position, leaving the department under interim leadership while the Senate considered the nomination.
With the confirmation and swearing-in complete, Blanche’s next role is to continue leading the Justice Department as its confirmed attorney general. The vote resolves who holds the department’s top position after the departure of Bondi and the months-long interim period that followed.
Sources
- Todd Blanche is sworn in as attorney general after bruising confirmation fight, Associated Press
- Senators head for the exits without meeting Trump's demands for voting bill, Associated Press
- Senate Judiciary Committee witnesses laud Todd Blanche during confirmation process, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
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